Bergesen on his rough start

Orioles starter Brad Bergesen, who entered camp projected to
be in the back end of the team’s rotation, hasn’t done much to help cause.

Bergesen, who allowed three runs over three innings in his
last start, didn’t make it out of the third against the Pirates Thursday night.
Instead he exited after 2 1/3innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on six
hits and two walks, and falling well short of his slated four-inning mark.

“It’s a small adjustment, I just have to make it,” said
Bergesen, who admitted he started to fly open in his delivery, causing the ball
to flatten out and the Pirates to pound the ball down the first base line.

“Just a little more deception. Today was just
bad. When I got into trouble, I didn’t make pitches. Lesson learned.”

An already-quick worker on the
mound, Bergesen tried to speed things up too much on Thursday to try to regain
form, despite the best efforts of catcher Craig Tatum and pitching coach Mark
Connor.But while his early spring
starts haven’t gone smoothly, Bergesen -who had two separate stints in Triple-A
twice last season – doesn’t think it’s time to panic.

“For me, it’s way too early,”
Bergesen said when asked if he was concerned about losing what seemed to be a
solid grip on a rotation spot.

“Obviously, I’m a competitor. I never like
going out there and having an outing like that, but at the same time, it’s
early, I’m still working on things. Outings like this are unacceptable, but I’m
not getting down on myself or turning into a mental head case by any means. I
just know what I need to work on.”

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